Just to update this blog a little bit, I thought I'd throw in the names of some movies I am in anticipation of seeing in theaters. As much as I'd like to go to the movies every week, it is difficult to fit in. But don't worry, I've got a stack of about 20 movies I can watch in between to fill in the gaps so I at least get to do a review at least once a week. I can't guarantee I'll get to see all of these movies, but I'm gonna try.
WALL-E- Although it's on its way out of the theaters soon, I am curious about this one because the previews were appealing, plus from what I've heard, this movie will likely win Best Animated Film at the Oscars next year.
The Dark Knight- I hope to be seeing this movie next week when the viewer turn-out calms down, because the movie has so far lived up to the hype. Seeing how well "Batman Begins" was, I'm even more excited for this sequel.
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor- I was a big fan of the first two movies, so of course seeing the sequel is a good option. I will admit that I don't know if this movie will do as well as the previous one (not counting The Scorpion King), but Jet Li being in this one is enough of a pull for me.
Tropic Thunder- For me it's hard to find a good comedy movie to see, but this one seems like it's worthwhile simply because of Robert Downey Jr.'s character.
Mirrors- I'm not as psyched about this movie, but it's got Kiefer Sutherland, and I need to see him in something before "24" comes back on.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars- As a Star Wars geek, I am obligated to see this movie. But the previews seem very promising, and the animated style makes it likely that they can go above and beyond what they could do in the rest of the films.
Check back here soon for my first official review coming soon.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls
I finally went to the movie theater for the first time in a very long time. I was a big movie fanatic, but lately it's been hard to find a mere 2 hours just to sit and watch a movie quietly, and thoroughly enjoy it. Now that I have finally seen a movie, I feel a renewed appreciation for film, so I've decided to write a short review of the movie I saw tonight:
INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL
Just to give a brief rundown of the story (without spoilers of course), we see an older Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) being forced to help out a group of Russian communists led by Dr. Spalco (Cate Blanchette). What he is forced to help them find leads to a series of events surrounding the legend of the crystal skull (no duh), an artifact with the ability to grant unimaginable power. As is usual fashion, this adventure takes Indy and a few partners (Shia LeBouf and Karen Allen returning as her character from Raiders of the Lost Ark) around the world, and includes plenty of action, Indy wit, and old-fashioned fisticuffs.
I truly believe that fans of the older movies will enjoy this movie, and even casual movie-goers would get a kick out of it. Minus newer special effects, the movie has the feel of the older Indiana Jones movies; which is good in that they don't detract from what made the first movies fun in the first place. Standout performances go to Harrison Ford of course, as well as Cate Blanchette. Ford still has that action bravado that made him famous, despite the showing of his old age. And Blanchette was very appealing as the femme fatal villain, keeping very convincing in her role. As for the movie's pace, it very rarely slows down, and keeps the action going without over-doing it.
The only negative things I can say about the movie is that it gets unrealistic at times with some action sequences, and the truth of the crystal skull legend they reveal is way beyond what you would expect of an Indiana Jones movie. But then again, movies aren't meant to be realistic, even if they try.
So I guess I should give this movie a grade or a score or something, right? I don't want to do thumbs up or down, no stars, so school grades; I'll just do a score out of 10 so I can be more flexible to those who even take my opinion seriously. So for the movie Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, the score is:......................8.5 out of 10. Only having a few small faults, I would definitely recommend this movie, and I honestly feel that the movie belongs as a part of the Indiana Jones story.
Hopefully down the road I'll get to do this again, as I usually find some good movies that get my interest. Any responses and comments are welcome of course. Good night everybody!
INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL
Just to give a brief rundown of the story (without spoilers of course), we see an older Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) being forced to help out a group of Russian communists led by Dr. Spalco (Cate Blanchette). What he is forced to help them find leads to a series of events surrounding the legend of the crystal skull (no duh), an artifact with the ability to grant unimaginable power. As is usual fashion, this adventure takes Indy and a few partners (Shia LeBouf and Karen Allen returning as her character from Raiders of the Lost Ark) around the world, and includes plenty of action, Indy wit, and old-fashioned fisticuffs.
I truly believe that fans of the older movies will enjoy this movie, and even casual movie-goers would get a kick out of it. Minus newer special effects, the movie has the feel of the older Indiana Jones movies; which is good in that they don't detract from what made the first movies fun in the first place. Standout performances go to Harrison Ford of course, as well as Cate Blanchette. Ford still has that action bravado that made him famous, despite the showing of his old age. And Blanchette was very appealing as the femme fatal villain, keeping very convincing in her role. As for the movie's pace, it very rarely slows down, and keeps the action going without over-doing it.
The only negative things I can say about the movie is that it gets unrealistic at times with some action sequences, and the truth of the crystal skull legend they reveal is way beyond what you would expect of an Indiana Jones movie. But then again, movies aren't meant to be realistic, even if they try.
So I guess I should give this movie a grade or a score or something, right? I don't want to do thumbs up or down, no stars, so school grades; I'll just do a score out of 10 so I can be more flexible to those who even take my opinion seriously. So for the movie Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, the score is:......................8.5 out of 10. Only having a few small faults, I would definitely recommend this movie, and I honestly feel that the movie belongs as a part of the Indiana Jones story.
Hopefully down the road I'll get to do this again, as I usually find some good movies that get my interest. Any responses and comments are welcome of course. Good night everybody!
Hellboy 2
I went to the Stroud Mall Saturday morning to try and sell some CDs and DVDs I no longer wanted. The store I had brought them to had to wait a couple of hours until the higher-ups showed up to pay out, so I needed to kill some time. I took advantage of this, and went to the theater and paid $4 to see the sequel to Hellboy:
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
The movie begins with a tale of how the Golden Army came to be, and then takes you into the B.P.R.D. (Bureau of Paranormal Research and Development), where top agent Hellboy (Ron Perlman) leads its agents on taking on attacking paranormal creatures. He soon gets involved with the plans of an evil elvish prince (Luke Goss) who is attempting to find the Golden Army and unleash it on the human population. It then becomes a race to see who can get to the Golden Army first, all while Hellboy has to deal with his relationship with fellow agent Liz (Selma Blair) and the reaction of the human population to his existence.
Director Guillermo Del Toro is known for his visual tastes, and this movie doesn't hold back with its special effects and interesting look to the characters and surroundings (most notably the Goblin Market the characters enter). The movie's focus is entirely on these elements more than the story, which does hold its own thanks to the actors playing through it. Ron Perlman continues to show why he was the best choice for the Hellboy characters, and is the stand-out of the movie. The rest of the cast stay average, which was good considering the movie is about Hellboy.
As for flaws, the villain prince who is impressive in the fights scenes can't carry it onto the character he plays. Luke Goss was much more convincing as the villain in Blade II than as Prince Nuada in the film. Also Jeffrey Tambor's character as the head agent does a complete 180 from his character in the first movie, and I think that hurt his overall feel in the sequel. He was originally a hard-ass, and now he has become a timid supervisor, which doesn't fit like his character did originally.
Overall, the movie is worth watching just for its amazing visuals, and if you're a major fan of the Hellboy character. If you haven't seen the first movie, it's not completely necessary, but I can
say the the sequel has done better than the original. Rather than give a score this time, I'm just going to give a general statement about how entertaining the movie is. For those who like visually-pleasing movies and their fair share of science fiction and action will definitely enjoy this movie. Those who might not are those who aren;t fans of the sci-fi genre. That being said, I feel that Hellboy II is an entertaining movie that does the series well, and will likely spawn a third movie dowen the road.
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
The movie begins with a tale of how the Golden Army came to be, and then takes you into the B.P.R.D. (Bureau of Paranormal Research and Development), where top agent Hellboy (Ron Perlman) leads its agents on taking on attacking paranormal creatures. He soon gets involved with the plans of an evil elvish prince (Luke Goss) who is attempting to find the Golden Army and unleash it on the human population. It then becomes a race to see who can get to the Golden Army first, all while Hellboy has to deal with his relationship with fellow agent Liz (Selma Blair) and the reaction of the human population to his existence.
Director Guillermo Del Toro is known for his visual tastes, and this movie doesn't hold back with its special effects and interesting look to the characters and surroundings (most notably the Goblin Market the characters enter). The movie's focus is entirely on these elements more than the story, which does hold its own thanks to the actors playing through it. Ron Perlman continues to show why he was the best choice for the Hellboy characters, and is the stand-out of the movie. The rest of the cast stay average, which was good considering the movie is about Hellboy.
As for flaws, the villain prince who is impressive in the fights scenes can't carry it onto the character he plays. Luke Goss was much more convincing as the villain in Blade II than as Prince Nuada in the film. Also Jeffrey Tambor's character as the head agent does a complete 180 from his character in the first movie, and I think that hurt his overall feel in the sequel. He was originally a hard-ass, and now he has become a timid supervisor, which doesn't fit like his character did originally.
Overall, the movie is worth watching just for its amazing visuals, and if you're a major fan of the Hellboy character. If you haven't seen the first movie, it's not completely necessary, but I can
say the the sequel has done better than the original. Rather than give a score this time, I'm just going to give a general statement about how entertaining the movie is. For those who like visually-pleasing movies and their fair share of science fiction and action will definitely enjoy this movie. Those who might not are those who aren;t fans of the sci-fi genre. That being said, I feel that Hellboy II is an entertaining movie that does the series well, and will likely spawn a third movie dowen the road.
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